Electronic systems, fault detecting methods thereof, system on chips, and bus systems

Abstract

An electronic system may include one or more units of processing circuitry configured to implement a main intellectual property (IP), a checker IP, and an error detection circuit. The main IP includes a first data path and a first control signal path. The checker IP includes a second control signal path. The error detection circuit is configured to detect an error of data by performing error correction code (ECC) decoding of output data that is output by the main IP to the error detection circuit through the first data path, and detect an error of a control signal based on a first signal that is output by the main IP to the error detection circuit through the first control signal path, and a second signal that is output by the checker IP to the error detection circuit through the second control signal path.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic system comprising:
 a main intellectual property (IP) including a first data path and a first control signal path; 
 a checker IP including a second control signal path; and 
 an error detection circuit configured to
 detect an error of data by performing error correction code (ECC) decoding of output data that is output by the main IP to the error detection circuit through the first data path, and 
 detect an error of a control signal based on
 a first signal that is output by the main IP to the error detection circuit through the first control signal path, and 
 a second signal that is output by the checker IP to the error detection circuit through the second control signal path. 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic system of  claim 1 , wherein the error detection circuit comprises:
 an ECC decoder configured to perform the ECC decoding of the output data to detect the error of data and output a data error detection signal in response to the detection of the error of data; and 
 a checker circuit configured to detect the error of the control signal based on the first signal and the second signal and to further output a control signal error detection signal in response to the detection of the error of the control signal. 
 
     
     
       3. The electronic system of  claim 2 , further comprising
 a fault collection circuit configured to
 receive the data error detection signal from the ECC decoder, 
 receive the control signal error detection signal from the checker circuit, and 
 selectively output a fault detection signal with respect to the electronic system in response to the data error detection signal and the control signal error detection signal. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The electronic system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the first control signal path is configured to output the first signal based on a third signal that is input to the main IP, and 
 the second control signal path is configured to output the second signal based on a fourth signal which is input to the checker IP and delayed by a particular clock cycle relative to the third signal, and 
 wherein the error detection circuit is configured to detect the error of the control signal by comparing a fifth signal to the second signal, wherein the fifth signal is delayed by the particular clock cycle relative to the first signal. 
 
     
     
       5. The electronic system of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a first delay circuit configured to generate the fourth signal by delaying the third signal by the particular clock cycle; and 
 a second delay circuit configured to generate the fifth signal by delaying the first signal by the particular clock cycle. 
 
     
     
       6. The electronic system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an ECC encoder configured to
 generate encoded data by performing ECC encoding on input data, and 
 provide the encoded data to the main IP. 
 
 
     
     
       7. The electronic system of  claim 6 , wherein the encoded data includes the input data and checker data to be generated based on the input data. 
     
     
       8. The electronic system of  claim 1 , wherein the second control signal path comprises circuit elements that are the same as circuit elements of the first control signal path. 
     
     
       9. The electronic system of  claim 1 , wherein the checker IP further comprises a second data path generated through boundary optimization, after the first data path is duplicated and then all inputs are tied. 
     
     
       10. The electronic system of  claim 9 , wherein an input of the second data path and an output of the second data path that is dependent on the input are omitted in the second data path. 
     
     
       11. The electronic system of  claim 9 , wherein
 the electronic system is implemented as a system-on-chip, and 
 a circuit area occupied by the second data path on a chip of the system-on-chip is less than a circuit area occupied by the first data path on the chip of the system-on-chip. 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic system of  claim 1 , wherein all of the main IP, the checker IP, and the error detection circuit are circuits configured to operate in a one-clock domain. 
     
     
       13. A method of detecting a fault of an electronic system, the electronic system including a first intellectual property (IP) and a second IP, the method comprising:
 detecting an error of input data by performing error correction code (ECC) decoding of output data that is output from a first data path of the first IP; and 
 detecting an error of a control signal based on a first signal that is output from a first control signal path of the first IP and a second signal that is output from a second control signal path of the second IP. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the detecting of the error of the control signal comprises:
 generating a third signal by delaying the first signal by a particular clock cycle; and 
 outputting a control signal error detection signal based on comparing the third signal to the second signal. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 outputting the first signal by the first IP through the first control signal path, based on a fourth signal; 
 generating a fifth signal by delaying the fourth signal by the particular clock cycle; and 
 outputting the second signal by the second IP through the second control signal path, based on the fifth signal. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 generating encoded data by performing ECC encoding of the input data; and 
 outputting the output data by the first IP through the first data path, based on the encoded data. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the second IP further comprises a second data path generated through boundary optimization, after the first data path is duplicated and then all inputs are tied. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein an input of the second data path and an output of the second data path that is dependent on the input are omitted in the second data path. 
     
     
       19. A system-on-chip, comprising:
 an error correction code (ECC) encoder configured to generate encoded data by performing ECC encoding of input data; 
 a main intellectual property (IP) configured to receive the encoded data and a first control signal and to output an output data through a first data path based on the encoded data and to output a second control signal through a first control signal path based on the first control signal; 
 a first delay circuit configured to generate a third control signal by delaying the first control signal by a particular clock cycle; 
 a checker IP configured to output a fourth control signal through a second control signal path based on the third control signal; 
 an ECC decoder configured to output a data error detection signal by performing ECC decoding of the output data; 
 a second delay circuit configured to generate a fifth control signal by delaying the second control signal by the particular clock cycle; and 
 a checker circuit configured to detect an error of a control signal by comparing the fourth control signal to the fifth control signal. 
 
     
     
       20. The system-on-chip of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 a fault collection circuit configured to output a fault detection signal with respect to the system-on-chip in response to the data error detection signal that is received from the ECC decoder and a control signal error detection signal that is received from the checker circuit.